Whats A Good Starter Fish?

[severina]

I've been thinking about trying out a marine aquarium for a while, I'm going to go out and buy some books this weekend. I'm thinking about starting with a 10 gallon and then I'll get a bigger one later, if I decide I like it.
So would Gobies be good starter fish? Out of all the fish I've looked at, they are my favorite. Especially clown gobies How many would it be ok to have in a 10 gallon?

I have alot of research to do before I actually take the jump, especially in the coral department, since gobies like them.

Any advice would be lovely!

 

[J-Money]

I think gobies get something like 2 or 3 inches long and i doubt they actually produce much waste so i think you would be ok with 2. But I think i've heard that they will fight others in their species in smaller tanks so maybe go with 1 clown goby and 1 firefish...

 

[Lovesfish]

I think you might also be able to keep a pair of percula clown but I'm not sure exactly someone would have to verify that for me. I have a much bigger tank but I know some things. dave

 

[RoyalGrammaPrincessHannah]

You could have a clown goby and another goby that looks different in a 10 gallon so they wont fight. They are easy to keep and like lots of hiding places to choose from in rocks.

 

[superman]

I think gobies get something like 2 or 3 inches long and i doubt they actually produce much waste so i think you would be ok with 2. But I think i've heard that they will fight others in their species in smaller tanks so maybe go with 1 clown goby and 1 firefish...

Tougher to keep water quality consistant in a 10 gallon so be prepared to do a lot of water testing. SOME gobies stay pretty small, then there are some that get almost 12" long. So make sure that you are sticking with the smaller gobies if you do get a goby. Firefish are a good candidate as well.

 

[severina]

I'll look into fire fish too. Thanks, guys

 

[steelhealr]

I was going to say about the same thing superman said. If you are going to base your decision on keeping a marine tank on how you fare with a 10 gallon....you'll probably be staying with FW. Just keep in mind that nano tanks are not easy/recommended beginner SW tanks. No one here will dissuade you from doing it..in fact..that is what this forum was forutanatley added for. But....don't base your decision on whether or not you will upgrade to a larger tank based on your performance with a nano reef...they can be VERY frustrating. Many people start out with large marine tanks and THEN add a nano tank on. SH

 

[severina]

Oh I see. I was just thinking about the cost factor. You have a good point about them being harder. I might just use the 25 gallon I already have for the marine, and then use the 10 gallon I was gonna get for the fish I have reserved that were going into the 25, since its a little big for them anyway. *ponders*

 

[Lexie3787]

scissortail gobies are good, if ure going for the bigger tank., and percs? This is what we started my ex bfs tank with.

 

[bleechme]

Your best to start with Damsels if your a beginner. I myself is a beginner and studied about saltwater fish. I don't know much about them either though, but throughout many research, They say Damsels are the best starters because they are hardy fish and are cheaper so if you lose the fish on your first attempts you won't lose much money. I also have a 10 gallon tank for my damsels. I think getting 2 damsels are the best set for now becasuse these little fishes can get very territoral.

 

[J-Money]

Your best to start with Damsels if your a beginner. I myself is a beginner and studied about saltwater fish. I don't know much about them either though, but throughout many research, They say Damsels are the best starters because they are hardy fish and are cheaper so if you lose the fish on your first attempts you won't lose much money. I also have a 10 gallon tank for my damsels. I think getting 2 damsels are the best set for now becasuse these little fishes can get very territoral.

what 2 types of damsels do you have in your tank that are comfortable in a 10G? They are agressive and i think a 10G tank would be too small for 2 damsels

 

[bleechme]

I got the all blue kind. (Don't know it's name) They are still quite small ( maybe around 1/2in or smaller) and are territorial but they seem to settled down now. They each live in thier own little fake coral thing. I am planning on moving them to a bigger tank and buying them some live rocks soon.